This is Jaydon Gianfrancesco. Jaydon is a Massachusetts resident and second-year student here at UNE. He will be graduating in 2025 and his selected major is Applied Exercise Science which fits his active and upbeat lifestyle. When asked about the best advice that he could give to incoming students, Jay replied, “make an effort to branch out and strengthen the relationships between your peers and teachers.” His advice fits well with the line of work he is planning to pursue. He wants to be a physical trainer which requires a lot of socialization as well as good communication to be successful. This being said, Jay elaborated on how this advice can be applied to any type of work setting such as school. “An important aspect of beginning college is entering a whole new environment of people. Many of these kids will share your classes and see you almost every day. Befriending and making a resource of these people will improve how well you stay on top of your work.” Building stronger relationships with other classmates and teachers will ultimately strengthen the amount of information you can receive along with creating an easier environment to communicate. This, in turn, will build on the social aspect of your work ethic and improve how you communicate with others in the workplace.
I was able to interview Marissa Wilson who is a sophomore in the dental hygiene program here at UNE. Marissa explained how coming into college, she had a rough start. This is very common for incoming freshmen. This is a big change that we weren’t super prepared for since we left high school during a covid senior year. Marissa explained “As someone who struggled academically and mentally their freshmen year, I’ve learned many things. Academically, I would suggest looking at all the syllabi and schedules right when you get access to them. It’s really helpful if you input every assignment due date, quiz date, or exam into your calendar. This will make it easier to track everything and will help you to prepare. That being said, when you see that you have an exam in a week, start studying! Even if you think you know the content, the sooner you start studying, the easier and less stressful it’ll be for you. You won’t have to cram all the information into your brain and pull an all-nighter the night before. Another thing is that if you are taking any science classes, it’s really helpful to spend at least 30 minutes after every lecture reviewing the materials. This helps you to understand the material well enough that it will stick in your brain and also helps when the exam comes. SASC is another really great tool that you can and should use, especially if you are struggling and not understanding the content. They also help you with studying strategies and give you tips and tricks for when it comes to taking an exam.” Marissa did a very good job at explaining how you should get your work done before you go out with your friends. It makes life a whole lot easier in the end. If you keep a healthy balance between school and friends you should succeed here at UNE.
